New Year's Cheer or Fell On Your Rear: 27 December 2004 - 2 Jan 2005

[dbny]

New Year's Cheer
Had fun skating with Jazzpants at a not too horribly crowded public session on Long Island. She has jumps and spins to admire. I was able to show her my newly aquired exercise of B pull, pull, pull, B cross stroke, cross stroke, cross stroke, etc. only because she kept a close watch behind me.

Fell On Your Rear
I did exactly that when showing off the above exercise to my daughter, who told me my BO edges weren't deep enough on the B cross strokes. I felt the blade go out from under me and knew I was not recovering from that one, but I must have been able to bend the knee far enough so the fall didn't jolt me too badly. Guess I have enough natural padding to protect my coxcyx these days :roll:. I'm still surprised that I don't have a stiff neck.

The mom of one of my private lesson students (I had just finished their lesson) saw it happen, and said she was glad to see that even experience skaters fall :lol: ....little does she know!

[starskate6.0]

New Years chear

Tried a triple sal today, ( tried ) ;)

fell on my rear

Never completed three revs so I went down several times. :roll:
Im not allowed to do them at gold level but its sure is a buzz to try :D
k-splat, k-splat k-splat :frus: Im at starbucks now at King Of Prussia having a coffee and reflecting on how I will feel tomorrow :?? "ouch"

" The greatest risk in life is not taking one" :D

[sue123]

New Years Cheer: had a great skate the other day. My spins were fast and centered, my foot work was beautiful. I got many compliments on my skating, and i was the best skater at the fairly uncrowded session, so after exiting a spin, people actually applauded! it was a lot of fun.

Fall on my rear: that definitly happened a lot. I get on the ice before anyone else is on. just the skate guards and one of their friends. i somehow tripped over myself doing what was supposed to be a mohawk. Of course, i went down really really hard. Hurt my shoulder a bit. as i was getting off the ice, i had a minor collision with the skate guard's friend. rather, he probably caught me. after getting some ice, i managed to numb up my shoulder enough so it didn't hurt. I didn't try any jumps that day because i had a lot of difficulty moving my arm, but i did do another mohawk just so i wouldn't get freaked out by them.

Then, after explaining to a 7 year old why i wasn't in the olympics, she asked if i could teach her how to do a trick. i showed her a lunge, and when she asked me to demonstrate, i go down, and then 2 little girls come straight at me, so i get scared so i won't hit them, so the toe pick on my leg that was bent went down to prevent myself from hitting them. the ice was rather unforgiving.

right now, both my knees are multicolored and there are some colors i didn't even know existed. i have a bruise on my hip, and a bruise on my back, and not really sure where else. But it felt real good to have a good skate interrupted only by 2 nasty falls.

[Melzorina]

Sue, are you allright?!

[sue123]

melzorina, i'm fine. just bruised. i'll admit though, the first fall knocked the wind out of me. and well, we have lousy guards that will just stand around and laugh if you fall. but hte fall on the lunge came at the very end of the session, so i had a nice long break in between falling. my shoulder is fine now, i think maybe i temporarily compressed a nerve or something, because by the time i got home, it was fine.

although my mom got a good laugh at me trying to climb the stairs at home. we live on the second floor, so i was trying to climb stairs without bending my knee. let me just say, i hadn't been so creative with going up and down the stairs since i hurt my ankle and i couldn';t fit on the stairwell with the crutches (narrow stairs)

[slusher]

Cheer:

I had a day off work and drove into the big city to skate at a rink I used to go to. Much to my happiness there were three skate friends I hadn't seen since September, and one of them has had a huge improvement. I applauded!!! and we had quite the reunion. One of the others is going to compete at Adults this year, we are all quite proud and nervous too. I met a male skater also, who has never tested ice dance, and since I'm a low test, we talked about the possibility of hooking up and competing at low level stuff. I'm totally cheered about that!

It's fun skating with different people because they're working on stuff that you don't usually see. In my own rink I'm in an intermediate group so we're doing all roughly the same thing. With my friends today, I was trying the killian choctaw (still can't do it, will die trying), outside mohawks, blues choctaw (can do this one, effortlessly, what gives?!) and variations on jump entrances, mostly how many different ways can we do a loop jump. I'm all excited to go back to my regular rink next week, I was in a skating depression.

Even more fun: I did a bracket while demonstrating what a bracket was, while saying "I can't do it but here's an idea". This is funny because I can't do brackets, and this was the most perfect bracket ever. I wish my coach was around to see it.

OK, the bad stuff: Fell on your rear:

I cannot get any flow out of a salchow, and indeed feel on my rear, or hip several times. I land stockstill and crank out a little edge, whereas my waltz and toe are huge flowy things and I can't get the same feel on a sal. This is my goal for January, to have more speed into jumps and more flow out. I guess I need to pack a pillow in my pants for a while.

[NCSkater02]

Cheer There were only 8 of us on the session today, plus 2 coaches. All that room was awesome. Waltz was my best jump today, although my flip and lutz felt pretty good. Lutz was definately on the outside edge...at least for today. I'm working on back scratch, and can usually do the 3turn/flip around part, but actually getting a turn or two is another story. Toe loop is getting better, am starting to get on the right back outside edge more consistantly, but flip the right foot around when I start to jump. MIF back crossovers--I did 2 laps of these, and didn't hear toe picks on one of then.


Rear Scratch spin :frus: I don't know that I will ever figure it out. While the flip felt pretty good, I just learned 3turn entry, and have lost some of the height I had, and am 2-footing the landings again. I guess it will get better with practice. Stroking was ok, but my coach says I don't open my left hip enough.

[Mrs Redboots]

Cheer: Skated twice today as Husband volunteered to run Figure Club this evening. This morning seems a long time ago now! Husband and I worked on some pairs moves, including trying a waltz lift off-ice. I'm still too heavy for him to lift (or else he's a wimp!), though - but we plan to get the coach to look at it tomorrow. We walked through our free dance and it went okay.

This evening I managed a couple of 2.5 revolution spins, and one 3 revolution one, which travelled. Sigh.

Rear: Of course, husband couldn't remember the steps of our free dance this evening, you'd think he'd never done it in his life, far less than we'd walked through it this morning! Men.... but eventually it sank in, and we even ran through it to the music.

The music I've cut to play with a solo free dance won't play properly on the rink's sound system - I was afraid it wouldn't. Oh well.

Our spins are dreadful! Our dance spin is fine, I think, but our pairs spin won't work - either I'm falling off my edge, or I end up under his armpit. And our side-by-side spin is still terrifying - I hate that feeling! And as for our side-by-side solo spins - well, it's kindest not to look.....

[Terri C]

Cheer:
My spins have returned from the Christmas holiday! Was able to skate through most of my freeskate program segements with no problem. Had so much height on one of my loop attempts that it scared me a little.

Rear:
Since my regular rink is only offering freestyles from 7-9:20 am this week :evil: , I'm having to go to the rink near my house which is okay, but has a small surface. That's what kept me from doing a full freeskate program runthrough with the music- I almost ran into the boards on a couple of combination jumps. Plus this rink can get VERY COLD, and by the time I was done, my hands were numb.
I also almost fell on my footwork sequence again by catching the toepick!

[Mel On Ice]

cheer: after trial judging yesterday afternoon, I had enough time to step onto a freestyle after having not skated for over a week. It was the first time I've shared the ice with a skilled pairs team (meaning, not beginners trying it out for the summer), and it was awesome to watch and honestly, easier to keep track of where they were going. I don't know who they are, but I loved watching them work together and help each other out.

rear: I started working again on the elusive flip. I'm either opening up at the top of the jump and landing it underrotated or swooping low and landing on two feet. The "stick yer boobs out" trick of not getting me to bend too much isn't working.

I also worked a little on the camel. I managed about 4 revs on my best attempt, but am stuck at about 2.5 revs on average.

I also tried to reaccquiant myself with my bronze interp for USFSA, a program I haven't worked on since March. The muscle memory theory is out the window as I can't even remember the proper beginning and ending. It all feels awkward again. Irk.

[Mrs Redboots]

All our lessons this morning! Sadly, we could only stay on the ice 2 hours since our plans for the day changed and we had to rush off after my private lesson.

New Year's Cheer: Worked with the coach on our free dance, and it's nearly ready. Needs practice. He helped us rechoreograph some of the changed bits that weren't quite working, but we still haven't got the end of it right. Still, I think he'll let us have our test papers fairly soon, and after that's out of the way, we'll have to start working on our dances for this year's competitions. I plan to make him reckon we want to test the level 4 dances (Swing Dance & Fiesta Tango) as that's the only way he'll ever be rigorous enough with us!

In my private lesson we did the usual exercises, but spent a lot of time on 3-turns as my LFO3 had gone walkabout. Not that I couldn't turn it, but it was awful, and I knew it! Coach complimented me on increased speed on BO edges.

Rear: Our spins! Sigh.... we have a good dance spin that is getting 4 revolutions consistently, but it's in the easiest hold and none of the others are even beginning to work yet.

And my back cross-rolls; I simply can't get the proper push off from an outside edge that I shall need. Coach says, dubiously, "Well, you have a whole year" when I say I want to test my Level 3 Dance Moves, and a year is a long time in skating!

[jazzpants]

New Year's Cheer
Had fun skating with Jazzpants at a not too horribly crowded public session on Long Island. She has jumps and spins to admire. I was able to show her my newly aquired exercise of B pull, pull, pull, B cross stroke, cross stroke, cross stroke, etc. only because she kept a close watch behind me. And with that one! I'll add mine for that day... (I'll also write a new thread on my trip to NYC as well too.)

New Year's Cheer: Had fun skating with DBNY at a not too horribly crowded public session on a rink in Long Island (not too far from where my in-laws are.) Glad to finally catch up with her again! My jumps and spins were also there that day. My right foot didn't give me too much trouble that day. I put in some foot cushion rings behind the sore and that seemed to keep it from getting worse.

Fell on your Rear: Noticed for some reason that the ice guards kept a particularly close eye on me. Uh, oh! (sarcastic tone) Yeah, and I don't look like one of the many hockey wannabes and their young son that happened to be at that session and nearly hit DBNY too! (end of sarcastic tone) EEEEK!!!

[Debbie S]

rear: I started working again on the elusive flip. I'm either opening up at the top of the jump and landing it underrotated or swooping low and landing on two feet. The "stick yer boobs out" trick of not getting me to bend too much isn't working.

I also worked a little on the camel. I managed about 4 revs on my best attempt, but am stuck at about 2.5 revs on average.

I hear you, Mel. I have the same problem with the flip. I worked on it a bit last night, although I hadn't thought about the boob thing, lol! Perhaps I'll try that next time. For now, my program has a 1/2 flip-toe loop combo.

Congrats on getting 4 revs on the camel. So far, my best has been 2 1/2. My average is usually about 1 1/2. :frus:

Cheer: Had a lesson last night and ran through my program for the first time since the Halloween Classic. It wasn't too bad. We made some changes to it and the program now runs faster. Instead of a sal-turn-waltz-toe sequence near the end, I'm doing a waltz-1/2 loop-sal. I'm also doing my loop earlier in the program (when I'm going slower, lol!) so that also has helped with the time.

It was good to see flo, who arrived at the end of my second session. By then, I was all tired out or I would have stayed for the all-adult session that came next.

Rear: I still find that I rush moves too much in the program, particularly the camel-sit. It's OK when I practice it, but I get so focused on staying with the music and getting through the program that the spin never looks as good in the run-through. And I also need to work on the transition moves we modified.

[NCSkater02]

Cheer:Only 6 of us on the ice today, plus 4 coaches. I did a backspin today with an entrance, full turn, and exit without putting my free leg down. It's more that I could do forwards, even though my coach says it's getting better. She told me today that we are going to open my program with the back scratch (it was a pivot last season) Guess that means I have until April or so to learn it.

Rear: Mohawks, especially the left. I rush the right too much, and just struggle turning my lower body for the left. I also drag the right foot bringing it in, it's crooked(?) instead of square to the left foot. I don't do it at all on the right. Forward scratch.... :frus:

[jazzpants]

New Year's Cheer:

Beautiful scenery!!!
And hey! I can say I skated at the world famous ROCKEFELLER CENTER rink during the holidays with a BIG-O BEAUTIFULLY lit Christmas tree with festive Christmas music playing in the background!!! And I have video to prove it! :mrgreen:
Fell on Your Rear:

LOOOOONG line OUTSIDE!!! At least 1.5 hours just to get into the room to pay to skate. :P
Mid teens temperatures with winds...AAAAAIIIYYEEEEE!!!!
LOTS of skaters on very hard ice!!! (I HATE hard ice!!!) :x
Obnoxious public session prices!!! (It's more than TWICE what I pay for public session.)
Very grumpy skater's hubby!!! (Which of course, made a very grumpy skater as well too!)
Did I mentioned the obnoxiously LOOOOONG line OUTSIDE!?!?!?! :P

[jazzpants]

New Year's Cheer:

MUCH saner Central Park session. This time I went on freestyle and though it's expensive, sure beats not being able to do much jumping or spinning with the rest of the cattle.
Beautiful scenery!!! (I got pictures!)
I can say that I've skated at Central Park now too!!! :mrgreen:
Watching hubby telling big tough "rent-a-cop" (politely of course) to "Shove it!" when he says that I have to wait to go on the public session going on the freestyle session cost $20 and I have to have my own skates. (He showed him my skate and says that "my wife's a professional skater." Of course, I had to quietly correct him afterwards about the "professional skater" comment...) :oops:
Fell On Your Rear:

Foot was bothering me again to the point where I couldn't do any jumps. I hi-tailed outta there as soon as I got all my movie/picture shots of me skating at Central Park!!! WAAAAAH!!! I wished I could stay!!! :cry:

[kisscid]

Fell on my rear -
All of my ice has been cancelled for the Holiday. Grrrrrrr. :frus:
See you all next year!

[jazzpants]

Fell On My Rear: Still recovering from foot injury... no skating 'til the foot heals up... :cry:

New Year's Cheers: Got my new PURPLE BOOTS today from Harlick!!! And they *ARE* BEAUTIFUL!!! :mrgreen: Of course, a couple of the skating moms looked at my skates and probably thought "Purple boots??? Weird lady!!!" (but politely said "Purple boots? Nice!!!" :P

Phil from Harlicks confirmed a gut feeling I have about my old boots. Although he hasn't seen the old boots yet, he says that it wouldn't surprise him if I got my current injury b/c the boots are worn out enough that it's no longer keeping my heels in place and is starting to bang on my achilles heel.

The other thing that I've changed about my new boots... I also got new MK Pros, but they are now 9' 1/2" instead of my old 9' 3/4. He says that 9' 3/4" would not fit onto the new boots. The blade would stick out a bit. Given the problems with my old purple boots (with 9' 3/4" MK Pro blades...) I'm willing to give 9' 1/2 a try to see if it fixes my old purple boot problems with spins. This should be interesting.... (Anyone had a similar experience with changing blade sizes but not manufacturer or type of blades???)

[jenlyon60]

Fell on my Rear Literally. I was doing a Happy Dance from doing 3 good repeats in a row of well-checked FO3s on the line. And fell on my rear.

New Year's Cheer
- All of my FO3s were much improved today after a week off. The first one I did I still held back to the line, but it did a bit of a "hold the edge for a bit" then straight to the line. The rest had the BI intersection with the line about where it should be for the size of the lobe. Right side was much improved also. Then we moved onto RFI3, and it was better than last time, although my free side is still wandering after the turn, instead of being "trailing" with my skating side leading towards the line.

- In my other lesson we worked on improving stroking (can never do too much stroking work) and forward swing rolls (coach upped the ante in the expectations) and forward/backward cross-rolls. Now that I'm making it the whole length of the ice without running out of steam, coach is upping the ante to have me increase my power on each stroke.

Next week... back to the Tango.

[Terri C]

This is for Friday morning:

New Year's cheer:

After a two week hiatus, and on lesson no less, had a CLEAN runthrough of my freeskate. Coach says that if this was my baseline program and I can keep the clean runthroughs up until New Year's Invitational, I should be in good shape!

Fell on Your Rear:
I have this corn on my right pinky toe that I've had since June. It can be very painful at times and on lesson, struggled with the backscratch because of this. For some reason, the loop is not affected by it. :??
Had what I thought was a sloppy runthrough of my Interp program. Well, all my energy went toward the freeskate!

[Melzorina]

I went skating today, though had no lessons. I haven't been in about two weeks, and was quite happy to be going, but I found I couldn't do anything. My spins were weak, my jumps were minimal, and my blade got stuck in someone elses hole they'd made, and I fell on my face, not my rear, on a forward crossover.

PATHETIC!

[sk8pics]

New Year's Cheer
Got back on the ice today after a nasty virus and actually skated really well! My coach said my run through of my pre-bronze free program was the best he's seen, so i feel like I'm on schedule for the New Year's competition. My run through of the interpretive program confirmed that I am waaayyy ahead of my music in two parts of the program now, since I've gotten more comfortable with it and am skating faster (whoo-hoo!) so he now wants to add "a few simple things." :roll: Actually we played around with a few things and I think it will be okay.

Also did a lap of the alternating back crossovers to back outside edges from the Bronze moves, and they were probably the best they've been too. Nice to be making progress.

No "falling on my rear" today, thank goodness. I'm still sore from falling a couple weeks ago when I got on the ice with my guards on!

Happy skating! And Debbie--I'm looking forward to skating with you at the New Year's competition!

Pat

[Debbie S]

Congrats on your progress, Pat!

Looking forward to seeing you at New Year's, too! Here's hoping that MIF and FS are not scheduled at the crack of dawn on both days - actually, it would be great if they were the same day, but that may be wishful thinking. Oh well, I need an incentive to practice the power 3's, and after my practice Thursday, I'm going to have to practice them A LOT between now and New Year's. :)

[garyc254]

NEW YEAR'S CHEER:

What a wonderful week of skating even considering some of the oddball skating schedules.

Monday, my normal evening skate was cancelled due to the holidays, so skated club ice at a local rink with my girlfriend and her friend. The three of us and two girls were the only ones on the ice.

Wednesday I was off from work, so skated a public session in the morning with only four of us on the ice. Later, skated an evening public session at another rink which was a little more crowded.

On the way home from work on Thursday (they let us off early) I called one of my 17 year old son’s cell phone to see what he was up to. With joy in his voice he announced that he was on a covered outdoor ice rink near his house. 8O He hasn’t skated since he was 7 years old and only then for a couple of lessons. I drove to the rink to watch (it was too late in the session to join in). I gave him some rinkside tips on balance and power. He seemed to enjoy himself especially after he swapped from the size 12 (his shoe size) rental hockey skates to a size 10.

Friday, I went to a morning public session and was on the ice about 30 minutes all by myself when I noticed my son in the warming room. 8O 8O He had come to skate with me and to get some more skating tips. :D 8-) No one in my family has ever seen me skate until now. He was quite impressed by my limited abilities (“Hey Dad, you can skate backward without falling down” :giveup: :lol: ). We worked on his balance and stroking for almost the entire rest of the session. By the time we were done, he had increased his stability and developed a lot of additional power in his stroke (and my knee ached from showing him how to get that power :oops: ).

So I got in 7 hours of ice time and may have finally enticed one of my sons to learn to skate. 8-) 8-) 8-)

Happy ice dance time!!! :D :D :D

[dbny]

Gary, your son is 17 and he listened to you? 8O

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

[garyc254]

Gary, your son is 17 and he listened to you? 8O

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

Only after he felt certain that I was actually teaching him things that worked. ;)

He was really skeptical about doing swizzles until he did some and then started stroking again. Amazing that his stroking improved after doing swizzles.